Tell us a little bit about you and your background.

Graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 2024 with a Bachelor’s degree in Art as well as one in Criminology, I was uncertain what to do with my dual degrees in completely unrelated fields. Freshman year, I went into college thinking I would graduate with a Criminology degree and, upon graduation, immediately work in law enforcement and eventually make my way to the FBI. Criminal justice and the American policing system has always fascinated me, but throughout my time at URI, I slowly realized that the more I learned about American law enforcement and true crime, the less I wanted to be part of the industry. Art has always been a passion of mine, and adding my Art major during the end of my freshman year was one of the best decisions of my life. At first, I added this second major solely to become a better artist and learn more about the history of art making. It wasn’t until my senior year at URI that I realized I could actually make a career out of my passion.

As for teaching outside of One River, I have experience working as a preschool teacher, a camp counselor, and a paint and sip instructor. I believe what truly got me into teaching is my role as the oldest sibling and cousin in my family. I am lucky enough to have a large family that is close not only location-wise but emotionally as well. I can rely on my parents, brother, and extended family for pretty much anything, and hope they can say the same about me. Being the eldest of all the Stewart cousins, I naturally became the leader when we were all together. Whether it was Christmas Eve, a 5th birthday party, or a random Sunday afternoon, I would be in charge of all of my younger cousins, coming up with ideas for games, breaking up fights, and finding ways to entertain my seemingly endless stream of incoming family members.

What attracted you to work at One River School?

Art and creative expression has always been an immense aspect of my life. I had already been working as a paint and sip instructor for a few months when I applied to One River. Being a paint and sip instructor means I get to celebrate birthdays, baby showers, and other milestones with my students. However, once the one-to-two hour class is over, I never see them again, which makes it very difficult to make meaningful connections. At One River, I am able to watch my students grow and mature as artists over the course of our curriculum, as well as establish a trustworthy student-teacher relationship. A large part of teaching is connecting with your students and getting to know them well enough so they feel safe and comfortable in the studio — enough to create the kind of artworks they might not have the confidence or ability to make in their public schools or at home.

Furthermore, I love the combination of education and learning that One River provides. There is no stress of grades at our school, so the students have ample time and comfort to experiment with different mediums and outcomes. Our students have the opportunity to work with materials they might not have been able to access outside of One River. I myself have learned immensely from working with different types of students while using materials in ways I might not have thought to use otherwise. My students learn from me as much as I learn from them.

How would you describe what it is like to teach at One River?

Teaching at One River is less stressful than what I would imagine teaching in a public school is. The children already have a predetermined love of, or at least interest in, art and creating, so there is no bump in the road on the passion side. My students come in willing and ready to learn nearly every day we meet for class. They are excited to continue working on our current project or eager to learn about what we will be making next. My students love trying out new materials and layering different mediums to bring an original idea to life.

Every project I teach at One River provides me with more perspective on a specific material, subject matter, or teaching style that I did not have before. I like to remind my students that I am still learning alongside them. Just because I am older and have a degree in this subject does not mean that I know everything about it. I still make mistakes. I still make artwork that I do not like. I am still actively learning from every artwork that I create.

What has been your favorite project to teach and why?

Thus far, my favorite project that I have taught at One River has been the Teen Art Shuffle Plus class’s Nature Mache project. This project was our 2026 Winter Show project and provided my teen students lots of creative freedom. The gist of the project was to paint a natural environment on a 10×10″ canvas and attach a paper mache animal to it to create the illusion that the animal is coming out of the frame. These canvases were in a diamond orientation, which forced my students to think outside of the box with their animals and backgrounds, as well as decipher which specific parts of the animal should be three-dimensional (paper mache) versus which should be two-dimensional (painted). My students spent time meticulously planning the color scheme, proportions, and layout of these artworks. I love teaching projects that my students can get fully absorbed into.

Is there a special One River moment that stands out for you?

At the beginning of my time working for One River, I had a very special moment with one of my students. I had only been working at the school for a few days at that point, so I was very nervous before and during class. Around halfway through the lesson, one of my students shared her personal sketchbook with me and let me flip through a couple of pages. This may seem like a small gesture, but it gave me assurance and made me understand that my students feel comfortable enough with me to share a private look into their lives. Throughout my life, my sketchbooks have always been something very personal to me. Besides a select sketch or two, I am unlikely to share the pages of my sketchbooks with anyone. When this student felt comfortable enough to open up to me in this way, I was grateful that she felt safe with me as her teacher.

What do you enjoy outside of One River?

Outside of One River, you will find me working on my personal portfolio, much of which includes crochet works. I learned how to crochet at the age of nine at a program very similar to One River and have been obsessed with it ever since. I love to make my friends and family homemade gifts as often as possible. Recently, I discovered how to crochet jewelry and have been making necklaces, bracelets, and anklets for all of my aunts and friends. Outside of creating art, I love to read — mostly fantasies, thrillers, and romance novels. If I could, I would spend my whole life traveling up the coasts of Greece burning through books day and night. At home, I have two dogs, Ginger and Laia, who I love with my whole heart.